December 11 – No sooner had he guided Napoli into the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday than Carlo Ancelotti, one of Europe’s most successful coaches, was sacked .
Until the 4-0 win over Genk, Napoli had not won in nine games in all competitions and sit seventh in Serie A. Last season they finished runners-up to Juventus but Ancelotti was shown the door even though his side are the only team to beat European champions Liverpool over 90 minutes this season.
Last month the manager and Napoli players were locked in a dispute with club president Aurelio de Laurentiis who ordered the team to attend a week-long training camp. Ancelotti criticised the decision and the players broke off the camp halfway through, refusing to stay in the hotel although they continued to train.
Ancelotti won the Premier League and FA Cup Double with Chelsea in 2009-10 and has immediately been linked with the vacant managers’ jobs at Arsenal and Everton.
He certainly has an impressive CV as one of only three managers to win three European Cups/Champions Leagues – along with Liverpool legend Bob Paisley and current Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane. He has also won domestic titles in England, France, Germany and Italy and
Ancelotti, who had only been in charge for one and a half seasons, did not appear to know an announcement was imminent after the win over Genk when he told reporters: “The win tonight is a weight off our shoulders and can give the players a big boost for the future.”
Reports in the Italian media suggest that Gennaro Gattuso, sacked by AC Milan at the end of last season, has been lined up as Ancelotti’s replacement.
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